Book of Pilgrimage

Chapter: On Pilgrimage and upon whom it is obligatory

Pilgrimage (ḥajj) is one of the pillars of Islam and one of its great foundations.

Allah the Exalted says, “And to Allah a pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed by all people who are able to find a way to it; and whoever disbelieves—surely Allah is independent of all the worlds” (3:97). In other words, Allah has laid upon humankind a compulsory obligation, namely the pilgrimage to His House, for the preposition ‘ʿalā’ in the verse denotes obligation. He then followed it with His words, “and whoever disbelieves—surely Allah is independent of all the worlds,” thereby labeling its neglecter a disbeliever. This underscores how binding and emphatic the duty is: whoever does not hold it to be obligatory is, by unanimous agreement, a disbeliever.

He, glorified be He, also said to His intimate friend (Ibrahim), “And proclaim the pilgrimage to the people” (22:27).

Al-Tirmidhī and others, in a sound report from ʿAlī (d. 40 AH) traced back to the Prophet, relate: “Whoever possesses the provisions and a mount that can carry him to the House of Allah yet does not perform the pilgrimage—let him die as a Jew or a Christian.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Islam is built upon five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, paying the zakat, fasting Ramadan, and pilgrimage…"